"NYCU Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Frontiers"

Geotechnical engineering is a discipline within civil engineering that focuses on the behavior of natural geological materials in engineered systems. It uses the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to solve its engineering problems. Geoenvironmental Engineering is a scientific field that involves rock and soil mechanics, environmental engineering, groundwater hydrology, and their impact on human health and the environment. It addresses issues related to complex problems, such as containment systems (such as landfills), contaminant transport, remediation of contaminated sites, and material reuse.     

This one-day conference will present the latest developments in different aspects of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, including the use of surface wave techniques to enhance site characterization and infrastructure health monitoring, use of point-cloud for terrain and structural monitoring, application of AI in prediction of lateral displacement of earth-retaining walls, use of biogeochemical cover system to mitigate landfill gas emissions, assessment of liquefaction in gravelly soils, probabilistic analysis of soil liquefaction, seismic soil-structure interaction for bridges, and assessment of resilience and sustainability of engineering project. 

Speakers:

• Dr. Moonkyung CHUNG is a Senior Research Fellow of the Department of Geotechnical Engineering of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT). He received his B.S. in civil engineering from Yonsei University of Korea in 1986, and his MS and PhD from Texas A&M University in 1991 and 1995, respectively. He served as the Head of Geotechnical Engineering Department, Head of Strategy and Planning Department, Head of Public Affairs, and Vice-President of KICT. Moreover, he served as the President of the Korean Geotechnical Society 2021-2023, Vice-President for International Affairs of the Korean Geotechnical Society 2019-2021, and Vice-President of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers 2019-2020. He is member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea since 2024. He received the Medal of Industry 2021 of Korea, Academic Achievement Award 2016 of the Korean Geotechnical Society, Outstanding Performance Award 2014 of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, Ministerial Recognition for Excellency 2011 of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea, Ministerial Recognition for Excellency 2002 of the Office for Government Policy Coordination of Korea, and Samuel Arnold Greeley Award 1999 of ASCE. 

• Professor Robert E. KAYEN of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley, received his BS in civil engineering in 1981, his MS in Earth Science – Geology from California State University, East Bay in 1988, and his MS in civil engineering and PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989 and 1993, respectively. He retired from the United States Geological Survey in 2023 after 40 years of service. He had served as an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering of UCLA from 2013 to 2017 before he became a professor at UC-Berkeley in 2023. He received the Ames Honor Award 2010 from the NASA-Ames Research Center of Mountain View, California, the Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award from ASCE in 2006, and the U.S. Department of Justice Commendation Award 2001 by the Environmental Division. 

• Professor Chih-Ping LIN is the Dean of Engineering, a Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, and the Director of the Disaster Prevention and Water Environment Research Center at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. He received his PhD in civil engineering from Purdue University in 1999. He received the Outstanding Research Award 2020 of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, the Hogentogler Award 2008 of ASTM International, the Outstanding Young Geotechnical Engineer Award 2003 of Taiwan Geotechnical Society,  among many others. He served as the Vice Global Chair 2020-2022 of the Near-Surface Geophysics Technical Section of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

• Professor Krishna R. REDDY is a University Scholar, Distinguished Researcher, and Professor in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering and is the Director of the Sustainable Engineering Research and Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering laboratories at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He received his PhD in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago in 1990. Before joining UIC, he worked for three years in consulting as a Geotechnical/Geoenvironmental Engineer. His research expertise includes environmental remediation, waste containment, beneficial uses of waste and recycled materials, and sustainable and resilient engineering. He authored and edited four books: (1) Geoenvironmental Engineering: Site Remediation, Waste Containment, and Emerging Waste Management Technologies; (2) Sustainable Engineering: Drivers, Metrics, Tools, and Applications; (3) Sustainable Remediation of Contaminated Sites; and (4) Electrochemical Remediation Technologies for Polluted Soils, Sediments and Groundwater. He has also authored more than 300 journal papers, 25 book chapters, and 200 conference papers and edited 30 books/conference proceedings. He received several awards for excellence in research and teaching, including the R. Kerry Rowe Lecturership 2024 of ISSMGE, the G.A. Leonards Lecturership 2023 of Purdue Geotechnical Society, the Gopal Ranjan Memorial Lecturership 2022 of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee,  the Fulbright-Nehru Academic & Professional Excellence Award 2020-2022 (Teaching & Research), the Wesley W. Horner Award 2018 of ASCE, the Hogentogler Award 2011 of ASTM International, among many others. 

• Professor Kyle M. ROLLINS of the Department of Civil & Construction of Brigham Young University received his PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1987. His research areas include foundation engineering and earthquake engineering. He has published over 220 technical papers and received over US$8 million in research grants. He has successfully supervised more than 130 graduate students to completion. He received the H. Bolton Seed Medal and Lecturership 2024 of ASCE Geo-Institute,  the Cross-USA Lecturership 2023-2024 of ASCE Geo-Institute, the Wallace Hayward Baker Award 2018 of ASCE Geo-Institute, Utah Governor’s Medal for Science & Technology 2017, the Jorj O. Osterberg Memorial Lecturership & Award 2014 of the Deep Foundations Institute, the Cross-Canada Geotechnical Lecturership 2009 of the Canadian Geotechnical Society, the Walter Huber Research Prize 1999 of ASCE, the Arthur M. Wellington Prize 1996 of ASCE, the Dow Outstanding Young Faculty Award 1991 of the American Society for Engineering Education, among many others. 

• Ir Professor Albert T. YEUNG has been Professor and Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering and the Director of International Affairs of the College of Engineering,  National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University of Hsinchu City, Taiwan since October 2022, after his retirement from the civil engineering faculty of The University of Hong Kong in 2020.  He received his BSc(Eng)(Hon) in civil engineering from HKU with 1st class honors, MS and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley under the supervision of the late Professor James K. Mitchell. Before his return to Hong Kong in 1998, he was on the civil engineering faculty of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, the United States for more than 7 years. He was also a Research Assistant Engineer of Texas Transportation Institute (now Texas A&M Transportation Institute) for 8 years. After his return to Hong Kong, he served as Chief Engineer of Binnie Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited (a subsidiary of Black & Veatch of Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.A.) and Assistant Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region before his return to academia in 2003. He has more than two hundred publications to his credit. His notable awards include the Region 10 Distinguished Service Medal 2023 of ASCE; IPA Research Grant Awards of the International Press-in Association 2008, 2012 and 2014; Best Presentation Award of the 1st International Conference on Utility Management and Safety, Hong Kong, 2009; the 1st Prize of Civil Engineering Papers of the Year Award 2008 of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE); the Peter H.K. Chan Award 2001 for the Best Environmental Paper of HKIE; the Samuel Arnold Greeley Award 1999 of ASCE; the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award 1996 of ASCE; the Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award 1994 of the American Society for Engineering Education; the Texas Engineering Experiment Station Select Young Faculty Award 1993; the Kumagai Prize 1994 of HKIE; among many others. He was the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council that is composed of 17 civil engineering member societies worldwide 2013 to 2016. He was the Region 10 (International Region) Director and a member of the Board of Direction of ASCE 2010-2013. He was also the Chair of the ASCE Region 10 (International Region) Assembly 2013 to 2016. He has been serving as an engineering consultant to many departments of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, engineering consultants, contractors, as well as barristers and solicitors in Hong Kong and Macau. Moreover, he has been serving as an Expert Witness in the High Court, District Courts, and Magistrates of Hong Kong, civil courts of Macau, and arbitration tribunals.